Constructing A Vernacular Narrative: Communal Memory of the West End Redevelopment

During the post-Depression and the postwar years, Boston experienced a continual social and economic decline. Although part of this followed trends that were happening across the country, in Boston it was largely due to the political corruption and the neglect of certain aspects of urbanization that happened under the long-running Curley administration. Because revitalization of the city was long overdue by the 1950’s, the incoming Hynes administration created an urban overhaul plan known as “The New Boston.” As part of this plan, the West End was quickly and completely appropriated, demolished and rebuilt in a process that has been historically viewed as poorly executed in several ways, including the treatment of its displaced inhabitants. In my upcoming public history thesis, I will argue that over time, displaced West Enders have been compelled to create a strong and cohesive communal memory-narrative of the West End and of these events, and that whether or not the memory is completely accurate, it is what has helped them to process the feelings of grief and betrayal they felt because of the redevelopment. I will explore the construction of this vernacular memory and examine its place on the cognitive map in the context of Boston’s history, and the larger context of urban social history. My research will largely be done at the West End Museum, where I will be consulting the digitally archived “West Ender Newsletter,” a community publication that has circulated among West End residents since the redevelopment. I also plan on looking at several other scholarly and popular interpretations of these events, including the creation of the West End Museum itself and an interactive historic walking tour of the area produced by Cambridge’s Untravel Media, Inc